Haryana polls: Can't accept verdict, says Congress; raises counting, EVM issues

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday said it cannot accept the Haryana Assembly polls verdict as there were "serious issues" about the integrity of the counting process and functioning of the EVMs in some districts, and asserted that it would take up the matter with the Election Commission.

Alleging a conspiracy, the opposition party said that in Haryana "democracy had lost and establishment had won".

"Serious questions have been raised by our candidates. We will bring it to the notice of the Election Commission," Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said at a press conference with AICC media and publicity department head Pawan Khera.

"What we have seen today in Haryana is a victory of manipulation and subverting the will of the people. It is a defeat of transparent, democratic processes. The chapter on Haryana is not complete, it will continue," he said.

Ramesh said the results in Haryana are "totally unexpected, completely surprising and counterintuitive". They go against ground reality, against what the people of Haryana had made their mind up for which was for change and transformation, he added.

Khera alleged that complaints had been received from Hisar, Mahendragarh and Panipat that there were electronic voting machines (EVMs) with 99 per cent battery on which the BJP won while units with 60-70 per cent battery saw the Congress win.

"Have you understood this conspiracy, where there was 99 per cent battery in EVMs, BJP wins where there is less than 70 pc battery, Congress wins. if this is not a conspiracy, then what is it?" Ramesh said, adding that the complaints were from 12 to 14 seats as of now.

"Ye loktantra ki haar hui hai aur tantra ki jeet hui hai (Democracy has lost and establishment has won)," the Congress general secretary said.

"All afternoon I have been in touch with the Election Commission, and the EC has replied to my complaints. I have replied to the reply of the EC. We have received very serious complaints about the process of counting, the functioning of EVMs in at least three districts, there are more that are coming in," Ramesh said.

"We have spoken to our colleagues in Haryana and this information is being collected. We hope to present this in a consolidated form to the Election Commission tomorrow or the day after, we will seek time from them," he said

"I think under these circumstances, it is not possible for us to accept the results that have been announced today," Ramesh said.

He asserted that the party will introspect the results and a committee will also be formed.

"We will talk to everyone. But now is not the time for analysis, the important thing is that victory has been snatched from us. The systems have been misused. Everyone felt that the ground reality was in favour of change. The results that have come do not reflect that," Ramesh said.

The reason why the Congress is not accepting the results is because not only it is surprising and unexpected but there are serious issues with the integrity of the counting process and the functioning of the EVMs in at least three to four districts in which about 12 to 14 constituencies are involved, he said.

"EC is our first stop. It is a constitutional body, it is an independent body, we expect it to function constitutionally and independently," Ramesh said.

"There are serious questions about the instruments of the system, namely the EVMs and also the extraordinary pressure on local administration officials. It is a double engine pressure of the state government and the Centre.

"There was an environment in which people have lost by 200 votes, 300 votes, 50 votes, people who had healthy leading margins have ended up losing by 100-200 votes. This can be explained only by manipulation and pressure," Ramesh said.

The BJP coasted towards a hat-trick win with its biggest tally in Haryana and the National Conference-Congress combine was set to form government in Jammu and Kashmir, voters in both places giving the victors a decisive edge as counting day progressed with many a surprise on Tuesday.

One state, one Union Territory and three main stakeholders. Bucking exit poll predictions and pollsters in the first elections after the June Lok Sabha verdict, the results threw up a mixed bag for the BJP, sobering lessons for the Congress but clear-cut unambiguous victory for the NC, which led the alliance to power in Jammu and Kashmir.